The multi-day public squabble between Rudy Giuliani and WABC owner John Catsimatidis showed no signs of abating Monday as details emerged about the former mayor’s diva-like demands and repeated refusal to heed station policies leading to last week’s suspension of his daily radio show.
The NY Post reports the former New York City mayor spent the weekend assailing the billionaire station boss’s free speech credentials and accusing him of being in the tank for President Biden and the Democrats. Meanwhile, Catsimatidis fired back that Giuliani had gone rogue, defying direct orders while issuing a series of demands for more money and more airtime.
“Last Tuesday, May 7, Mayor Giuliani gave me an ultimatum. He texted me that I had to double his airtime and compensation by May 28,” Catsimatidis said in a statement Monday afternoon.
The very next day, WABC management caught wind through a Bloomberg report that Giuliani had planned to double down on his “defamatory” comments about the Georgia election workers on social media, which Catsimatidis said resulted in additional filings being brought against the ex-mayor by plaintiffs in the suit.
Concerned that Giuliani would raise the issue again during his show on Thursday, Catsimatidis sent a letter reminding him of the policy “in an effort to protect the station” from being dragged into litigation over his false election claims.
“I sent Rudy a letter reminding him not to speak about the legitimacy of the election results on our air, yet just hours later, during his 3:00 p.m. show that day, he did just that,” said Catsimatidis.
As Giuliani launched into the topic of voting machines near the end of the broadcast, the station cut his audio and abruptly pulled the program off the air.
“This is when Rudy issued me a second ultimatum,” Catsimatidis wrote in his statement, saying the former “America’s mayor” shot back via text that he planned on “disregarding every order given” in Thursday’s letter.
In an attempt to ease tensions, the Gristedes and D’Agostino Supermarkets CEO said he texted Giuliani Friday morning saying, “Rudy, I love you. I’ve supported you for 40 years. I look forward to sitting down together one on one.”
Statement of WABC Radio by John Catsimatidis, CEO:
As I said in my text to Rudy Giuliani on Saturday morning, the good news is we only argue every 40 years.I’ve supported Mayor Giuliani for decades. He did a great job as “America’s Mayor.” He was tough, which allowed 8 million New Yorkers to walk around freely and feel safe.
I bought WABC at a time when media outlets wanted to stay away from associating with Rudy. I gave Rudy his own show and continued to support him despite the criticism I received as a result of this decision.
In January 2021, during the fallout of the 2020 election and controversy surrounding the results circulating the news media space, WABC received a letter from lawyers at Dominion Voting Systems, which our own lawyers reviewed. We informed Dominion’s lawyers that we would instruct our on-air talent not to talk about Dominion.
Our lawyers came to the decision, in order to protect the station, to direct all on-air talent “not to state, suggest or imply that the election results are not valid or that the election is not over.” This has remained the policy of the station ever since and is wholly consistent with industry-wide policies.
Mayor Guiliani has admitted repeatedly over the past few days that he agreed not to speak about Dominion. However, he was also warned numerous times, particularly in the past few months, to refrain from any allegations of electronic voting manipulation surrounding the 2020 election.
Last Tuesday, May 7th, Mayor Giuliani gave me an ultimatum. He texted me that I had to double his airtime and compensation by May 28th. I told him I wanted to sit down in person to discuss this. He repeated his demand on Wednesday, May 8th.
That Thursday, May 9th, management was made aware of the Bloomberg News report that Rudy was continuing to double down on his defamatory comments about the Georgia election workers on social media, leading to additional filings against him by the plaintiffs in that lawsuit.
As a result of this new information and in an effort to protect the station, that same day, I sent Rudy a letter reminding him not to speak about the legitimacy of the election results on our air. Yet just hours later, during his 3:00 pm show that day, he did just that.
The WABC control room has a dump button that creates a delay, in order to allow our board operators to prevent words regulated by the FCC from being broadcast. Last Thursday, shortly after receiving this letter, Rudy closed his show by talking about electronic voting machines, and our board operator dumped the audio, as instructed. We have a copy of this audio in our records. Once again, he was warned not to discuss this topic, and only hours later proceeded to do just that.
This is when Rudy issued me a second ultimatum. After his show was abruptly pulled from the air on Thursday night, May 9th, Rudy texted me at 6:41 pm, saying “I am disregarding every order given in this letter.” It is important to note that Rudy was not even suspended yet at this point in time.
On Friday morning, May 10th, at 8:57 am, I texted Rudy, saying, “Rudy I love you. I’ve supported you for 40 years. I look forward to sitting down together one on one.” Rudy responded by stating that he will continue to disregard the instructions in this letter.
In light of all of the above, management held a meeting at noon on Friday to decide how to proceed. My primary concern, as a responsible journalist, was that Rudy would continue talking about the electronic voting machines, as he attempted to do on Thursday. Of course, nobody here has ever been fired for free speech or talking about the election, even though in my mind, talking about the election of 2020 is like talking about who shot Kennedy. At the end of the day, Rudy attempted to talk about the manipulation of electronic voting machines. He has admitted this himself.
As Rudy mentioned this weekend, in November 2023, Newsmax subpoenaed WABC and myself questioning our exclusion from a lawsuit that Newsmax was a part of, which our lawyers are handling. To be clear, WABC is not a party to this lawsuit and there is no factual or legal basis for this subpoena.
In a Saturday May 11th, New York Post article, Mayor Giuliani admitted that he was on the payroll of Newsmax. This is concerning to me, especially in light of the subpoena which was issued to us this past November.
Given his recent ultimatum, his direct violation of an agreement he signed to not talk about electronic voting machines, and his absolute refusal to abide by company policy, the company had no choice but to suspend him last Friday, pending further discussions. All we wanted to do was suspend him until we could have a sit-down meeting in person, as I communicated with him. However, his actions this weekend appeared to be an attempt to force my hand.
On Friday afternoon, May 10th, Rudy appeared on various non-WABC internet-streamed programs, including his own personal internet show, criticizing management and WABC itself, while making extreme accusations about a greater plot against him.
On his personal Sunday internet show, Rudy, in an attempt to deflect from his own conduct on WABC, mischaracterized our station’s issues with him, claiming that his suspension was based on our issues with Newsmax.
Rudy has publicly accused me of suppressing his free speech, calling my decision “unconstitutional” and a violation of the First Amendment. However, as a licensee of the FCC, the First Amendment grants me the rights and responsibilities to protect WABC. Each decision I make is guided by what I believe best serves the station, our listeners, and above all, the truth.
John Catsimatidis
May 13, 2024
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